There is History Running in Our Veins
by I Was NotA Robot
Summary: The war is over. Years later, a daughter stumbles upon evidence of the story that she was never told. Rosewick.
1. Enlighted in the Attic

**This is absolutely dreadful, and it doesn't make sense half of the time. I apologize beforehand if the creation of Ruby and Torchwick's daughter is not well done. I don't usually make OC's, since I believe that it can be unbelievably easy for even the best of writers to slip up and accidently make a Mary Sue (not that all OCs are Mary Sues, but that is often the case).**

 **This is an AU where Ruby and Torchwick get married and kind of settle down after the war ends - of course, Ruby has a teaching job at Beacon, and goes on missions with team RWBY. And Torchwick is...well...Torchwick. Who knows what he does on his downtime.**

* * *

" _Who knows, Red," he says through clenched teeth and quickly drawn breaths, "maybe after this blows over, maybe if I'm not -?"_

" _Don't say it." Ruby whispered, laying a hand on his cheek, tears streaming down her face. "I swear, Torchwick, if you die on me like_ this _, I'll hate you forever."_

 _Twelve feet away, the top of a nearby shot exploded, hot, orange, fiery fumes billowing into the air. The smoke clouded over the streets was so thick that seemed as if a gray blanket of heat had descended upon streets with the intention to choke and blind._

 _Rolling chunks of brick and uprooted pavement were hurled left and right, and unidentified screams sounded from every directions. The sounds of shattering glass and caving buildings, and the shuddering roar of Grimm filled the air, rivalled only by the slicing sounds of blades and the fire of guns._

" _Maybe if I'm not dead," he continues, ignoring her tearful words and the fluctuating pain on his left side, "then after all of this…blows over…we can settle down in a nice house…with a picket fence and – argh…" he hisses, eyes nearly fluttering closed._

 _Ruby's heart nearly stopped in her chest._

" _What? Are you serious?"_

" _Quite. Quite serious." His expression was pained, but she could see the sincerity in his eyes. He even had the nerve to smile; his teeth were coated in red, and he coughed. Eyes wide, Ruby stared down at him in disbelief._

" _Are you…asking me to marry you in the middle of a fight?"_

" _You know, we can even have a kid or two. If you want. I've never been father material but – if you want, we could give it a go. Far away from the ruckus, no backstabbing dictators to worry about, no apocalypse, and definitely no tabloids." he wheezed, rambling on not unlike she did on the occasion, only he was dead serious and bleeding to death in the middle of the streets._

" _No more running?"_

" _Yeah, Red. Think about it." he muttered quietly. His eyelids fluttered shut and he slumped in her arms, taken by a wave of unconsciousness._

" _Torchwick? Torchwick?" she shook him by the shoulders, checked his pulse. "Torchwick! Roman!"_

* * *

 _All four kingdoms were engaged in war. The destructions of towns, the demolition of cities, and the spread of panic and chaos still followed. Criminals ran through the streets, elated and free, while Hunters and Huntresses fought to keep the disorder at bay._

 _A broken shell of a woman with glass shoes and a cold heart watched fate unfold from above, and laughed._

 _A dark-haired beauty who hid herself in a black bow steeled herself to rip the fabric away and find out if it was true that cat's had nine lives after all._

 _The swift trickster boy reaches out to yank at his opponent's hair – only to find that the golden locks have been hacked away. Her violet eyes turn red, and her soul bursts into flame._

 _The fairest of the four dances with her silver sword and scatters ice through the air like fallen snow._

 _In the middle of it all, a young Huntress silently clutched a criminal like a lifeline, listening to the beats of his heart line in sync to hers._

* * *

 **SEVEN YEARS LATER**

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"Florid Torchwick." she murmured, smiling at the small bundle in her arms. "It's perfect."

"That's a terrible name, you know. She'll never forgive you." Roman piped up from his chair. "There's no way I'm going to let my firstborn daughter enter the world with a name like _Florid._ It's ridiculous." He blew his bangs out of his eyes with the corner of his mouth and flexed his hand. Childbirth was a bitch; not that he would know. But judging by how hard Red had grabbed his hand, he had the feeling it was not a pleasant experience. He could swear one of his fingers were broken.

"Shut up, Torchwick. Just live in the moment for once, okay?" she snapped, sending him a halfhearted glare. He only smiled, half weary half bemused. Moments later, a certain blonde burst into the hospital room.

"Ruby!" Yang cheered.

"Yang!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Him." she grunted, throwing a dark look Torchwick's way. He threw up his hands as if to say _what did I do?_

"Yang, meet Florid Torchwick." Ruby announced, beaming with pride. Her older sister's face wrinkled in confusion as she approached the bed, arms out.

"That's a terrible name." she told her bluntly. The younger sister tightened her hold slightly, and Yang put her arms at her sides. Upon seeing Ruby's face fall, she quickly backtracked. "Because you've got a stupid last name like _Torchwick_ tacked onto the end." she added. "I'm sure _Flora Rose_ would sound much better." Yang nodded.

"It's Florid -"

"No really, it's Flora." Yang assured her, patting her on the shoulder.

"Oh…well, okay…that does sound nice," Ruby admitted grudgingly, shifting in the hospital bed. "But Torchwick and I agreed that we'd be using his last name." She paused again. " _Flora._ Flora Torchwick. I like it." She smiled down at the baby in her arms, and Yang smiled in relief.

"Yeah, because _Florid_ is pretty _horrid_. Eh, eh?" Yang grinned. Roman clenched his teeth and glared at his sister-in-law.

"No. Stop." he groaned, resting his face in his hands. The only worst choice he'd made than letting his wife pick the first name of their daughter was letting in Yang and her stupid puns. "Just...just give her here, alright? I want to be the third person in the world to hold my daughter - after the nurse and my wife." He shot a pointed glare at the back of Yang's head. "There's no way I'm getting beaten out by the sister-in-law. I helped bring her into the world, you know."

"Oh, so you stuck a hot dog into a bun and made a sandwich. Hard work, am I right?" she rolled her eyes. Blake and Weiss snorted in unison from the doorway, and Roman's eyebrow twitched. He loved his wife, but sometimes he really hated her friends.

* * *

 **SEVEN YEARS LATER**

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"Velvet said she'd come over to babysit. You like Velvet, right? Last time, you two had fun running all over the house." Ruby said soothingly, gently coaxing Flora's small fingers from around her waist. The girl sobbed and clung even more tightly. Ruby Rose, accomplished Huntress, teacher, and mother, stood in the middle of the hallway in door to leave but unable to stay. A small girl in pigtails stood in her way.

"You're going to leave, aren't you!" she cried, clinging to her mother's pant leg. "Jackson's mommy fought monsters, too, and she didn't come back!" Her face was blotchy and warm with tears. Ruby knelt down at eye level daughter.

"Flora, I love you more than _anything_ in the world. I will never leave you." she clasped her daughter's face in her hands. A wide pair of silver eyes rimmed in red stared up at her mother's face, tearful and hopeful.

"You promise?"

"You won't have to worry about me." Ruby hugged her close, laying a hand in Flora's dark hair and stroking gently through the tangles. Next to the pair was Roman Torchwick, watching them with a grudging fondness.

"Your mother can take care of herself." he drawled from the doorway, cigar in hand. "This isn't her first mission. She'll be gone for three days – you'll get to hang out with me. What do you say about arson?"

"Torchwick." Ruby warned, a smile on her face despite her exasperation. Flora twisted around in her mother's arms, curious and cheered.

"What's arson?"

"We are not teaching our seven-year-old daughter how to set fire to public property!" Ruby hissed under her breath. He could do nothing but smirk at her as he handed her a suitcase. She sucked in a breath. "This will be a long three days, won't it?"

* * *

Flora Torchwick lives in a nice brick house in a nice neighborhood. It isn't a mansion, but it definitely isn't lacking in much. It's made of sturdy red brick, with white windowsills and pale curtains. The fence outside of her house isn't white picket; it's a black iron fence.

She spends her spare time dragging a brush against white canvas and looking out the window from the second story. She studies weapon designs, history, and, her favorite, the ancient stories of Hunters and Huntresses who fought monsters and kept the darkness at bay. Sometimes, she daydreams of the day when she becomes a Huntress herself, much like her mother (the war hero, the prodigy, the little girl in a red hood who ran as fast as she could and saved them all), only different.

Instead of a red hood, she'd have a white jacket and a set of red throwing knives all connected with silver string. Instead of being constantly asked, "Aren't you Ruby Rose's daughter?" everyone would know her name.

In the bare instances in between daydreaming and pouring through textbooks, Flora keeps herself occupied by mixing colors together until paint runs smoothly from the brush and onto her canvas.

She loves her parents dearly; but in two years, she wants nothing more than to escape from the iron fence and run to Beacon Academy if it kills her. It's hard, living in the shadow of a famous Huntress, but she's willing to give it a shot.

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"I think there's a paint set in the attic." her mother starts one afternoon, casually and quietly. "You can finish your project with that. If you already have a weapon design in mind, just paint over it and retrace. I'd love to help with adjustments." Flora perked up.

"Oh? What makes this set so special?""

"It used to belong to a…friend…of ours." she said, glancing at her husband. Roman met her eyes before pretending to be immersed in his novel. "Go on up; it's painted brown, about this big, this long," she gestured with her hands, "it's mixed with a small amount of Dust, so the paints will be in good condition – they may glow on canvas."

"Cool!" Flora bounced up and bounded towards the attic stairs, coattails flapping behind her.

"You think she can handle it?"

"Oh, yeah." she replied confidently. "That's why I offered to help her; I'll make sure it doesn't literally explode in her face."

"These school assignments just keep getting weirder and weirder." Roman scoffed, shaking his head.

* * *

The attic was dusty and stale. Spare cobweb strands dangled from the low ceilings, and her shoes made marks in the thick layer of dust coating the floor. Spare cardboard boxes and wooden containers were packed against the back wall, surrounded by still piles of books and clear containers of nuts and bolts. A parasol leaned against the wall in the far corner, made of tattered pink lace.

Flora looked around, searching for the box her mother had described.

Ah, there it was! Propped underneath a larger leather trunk with loose buckles and straps.

The trunk tipped over and fell to the ground with a _CRASH._

"Ah!" she exclaimed, looking around. She hoped that downstairs, her mother didn't hear. The last thing she wanted was her parents convinced that she'd taken to breaking valued things in the attic. Flora knelt down and inspected the trunk. Nothing inside seemed to have shattered; at least, she hadn't heard anything break. However, the glint of metal pieces on the ground said otherwise. The lock had broken in the fall. Cursing herself, she braced herself and pulled at the trunk. Hauling it right-side-up, Flora grunted and dropped it to the ground, panting.

All was right now, and the box she'd come for was available to take. She was about to do so, until something about the trunk she'd just knocked over caught her eye.

The corner of a photo peeked out from under the unlocked lid. Before she knew it, her fingers had inched for the lid and yanked it up, revealing the contents inside. _This is stupid_ , she thought. She was wasting her time. She was about to slam the lid down, but she ended up focusing on the first item that stared up at her.

It was a mugshot. It was her father – younger, brighter, and different. But it was definitely him; if the green eyes and signature telltale smirk weren't clue enough, the bowler hat and label proved it.

Brushing the photo aside and blinking away the dust that had settled on her eyelids, she lifted up the next item in the trunk, paint set forgotten.

It was an old newspaper. It was yellowed and thin; the paper was so dry and brittle, she had to force herself to handle it with the gentlest of care. Flora's eyes widened as she read the title.

 _ **MASTER CRIMINAL ROMAN TORCHWICK ESCAPES CONTAINMENT**_

"This was years ago," she breathed to herself, checking the date. She skimmed over the article. The printed words had faded to gray on the paper – it was so thin in her hands that any wrong movement could've torn it.

 _Roman Torchwick, business partner-in-crime with Cinder Falls, has escaped captivity once again as of December 23. His current whereabouts are unknown. Warning: Roman Torchwick is classified as a high-level threat._

Her vision blurred a bit as she read the first few lines.

* * *

It'd been briefly mentioned that her father had once been…troubled. He liked to call his past self " _the dashing bad boy with a god complex_ ," to which her mother would respond with _"You were an idiot, Torchwick. An evil one."_

" _The evilest, slimiest git in the whole kingdom of Remnant."_ he'd reply with a snakelike grin before pulling her onto his lap and kissing her full on the mouth. This was when Flora would look away, laughing, and her mother pulled away with a smile on her lips.

It soon became apparent after that that her father had a criminal record. She was never shy of this fact – it didn't surprise her. After all, he _had_ offered to teach her how to pickpocket unsuspecting tourists one day before Ruby sharply protested. It was no secret to her that Roman Torchwick was cunning as a fox and double-sided as a penny.

But it had never occurred to her that he'd ever been more than a petty thief.

 _Roman Torchwick, business partner-in-crime with Cinder Falls –_ Flora knew that name. The name that started it all; the war, the doubt, the years of bloodshed and suspicion that formed a gateway for the Grimm. He had worked with her – he had _helped_ her – her father was an accomplice in crime.

 _He's a murderer_ , she thought to herself, repressing a shiver. Thousands of people died in that war and even more had suffered – families were separated, and monsters were unleashed. Her school textbooks had exact numbers; each one larger than the last. But her mother was a Huntress, wasn't she? She would never marry a murderer. She was a _war hero_ and so much more - she was a legend. Her mother was kind and sweet, honest and self-sacrificing. Ruby Rose had stopped the war in its tracks along with her team before getting a teaching degree at Beacon and officially becoming a Torchwick. Her parents argued with each other (bickered, really) daily, but it was always joking, never serious, and it _never_ turned to blows.

Yet the next pages were grainy images pulled from the security cameras of the day. A younger version of her mother with shorter hair and a smaller frame catapulted through the pages, scythe in hand. She recognized her father at the entrance of a shop next to a shattered window, aiming Melodic Cudgel at her head.

He looked as though he was going to shoot her point blank. He looked like he was trying to kill her.

 _What was this?_

Flora's hands had begun to shake. So, was this how her parents met? She remembered Mei from Signal telling her about the epic love story of _her_ parents; they'd run into each other at the local coffee joint, and her mother had spilt coffee all over the shirt of her soon-to-be husband. One thing led to another, until they married, had three children, and lived happily ever after.

It was a perfectly lovely and normal story. But what would Flora say if the topic was ever brought up again?

' _Oh, yes, my parents met on the streets like yours, outside a nice shop, isn't that lovely? But my dad tried to shoot my mother point blank in the day, did you know? They regularly went about and tried to kill each other every chance they got; in fact, my father happens to be one of the key masterminds behind the near-apocalypse over fifteen years ago! I'm the offspring of one of the greatest Huntresses to have ever lived and one of the most despicable villains ever to steal candy from a baby. Happy anniversary, mom and dad!'_

* * *

After the stack of newspapers was a bundle of cheap tabloids, also dating back to when her parents were younger and wilder. In sharp contrast to the newspapers, these tabloids were bright in color and nearly untouched. Scanning the first title, Flora nearly snorted out loud.

 _ **IS YANG XIAO LONG'S PACKAGE REAL OR A RESULT OF SECRET SURGERY?**_

Ridiculous. But why would her parent's keep trashy stuff like this? For sentiment's sake, perhaps? Flipping through the stack, she uncovered various titles, all concerning either her mother's team or Ruby herself.

 _ **ARMY GENERAL WINTER SCHNEE HANGS AT LOWKEY PUB WITH MYSTERIOUS RUGGED COMANION!**_

 _ **SCHNEE HEIRESS BETROTHED TO FOREIGN PRINCE!**_

 _ **BLAKE BELLADONNA SPOTTED HOOKING UP WITH FAUNUS EX-BOYFRIEND IN BACK OF CAR!**_

 _ **SCANDAL: BEACON HUNTRESS RUBY ROSE FRATERNIZING IN ATLAS GARDENS WITH CRIMINAL!**_

 _ **TEAM RWBY V.S. TEAM JNPR: MISCARRIAGE OR MISUNDERSTANDING?**_

 _ **JAUNE ARC: WARRIOR OR WOMANIZER? THE SHOCKING UNTOLD STORY!**_

 _ **GLYNDA GOODWITCH AND HER KILLER SUMMER BIKINI BOD!**_

 _ **WILD BEACON REUNION PARTY: SHOCKING HOOKUPS, PREGNANCIES REVEALED!**_

Flora scoffed to herself, rolling her eyes at most of the ridiculous accusations and the tiniest details blown wildly out of proportion. But she lingered on some of them when certain blurred photos caught her eye. She stroked one of the glossy covers and peered closer.

 _ **TEAM RWBY GIVES SHOCKING ANNOUNCEMENT: PROFESSIONAL HUNTRESS TO WED FORMER CRIMINAL?**_

The front image depicted team RWBY in their youngest days waving to a crowd. The only member of the team in the photo without a smile was Ruby. It was most likely a flicker of the light, or a snap of a picture in an unflattering second, but it made her appear much more questionable compared to her grinning teammates. The large block-letter font and bold black question mark above her head didn't help appearances.

* * *

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" _FLORA! THERE'S SOMEONE DOWN HERE TO SEE YOU!"_ her mother's voice called up from below. Flora nearly jumped out of her skin, knocking the top of her head against the roof of the trunk.

"Just a minute!" she tried to say, only to find that her voice came out as nothing but a squeak. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Just a minute!"

Flora shoved the magazines back into the trunk and slammed down the lid with enough force to rattle the rusted hinges. Fiddling with the locks, she scooted backwards on the ground and staggered to her feet.

What had she just found?

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* * *

 **If anyone's wondering where the name 'florid' came from, it's another word for red, much like Ruby. Flora worked as a nickname because it sounded natural, and it has to do with flowers (Rose). Flora is loosely based off of Alice from Alice in Wonderland, and if I ever make another chapter I might expand on that.**

 **Also, it's a personal head cannon of mine that if Ruby and Torchwick ever were to get married (let's pretend it actually happened, alright? I have no false delusions of grandeur about my ship), most of the time she'd call him Torchwick and he'd call her Red (and she'd only call him by his first name in dire situations).**

 **Just a heads up, I live off of reviews, so feel free to drop by the comments box!**


	2. Early Birds

**I've always thought that if Ruby was mom, then she'd be totally awesome a it, but really hyper and enthusiastic about all of the big events from birthdays to first days of school.**

 **Oh, and I've got this weird headcannon that if Torchwick ever cooked, he'd either be complete crap at it or he'd be an Iron Chef in like, thirty minutes. I feel like Ruby would be the culinary klutz of the two, and since they probably wouldn't eat takeout all the time then...Torchwick + kitchen + ingredients + domestic stuff = chef?**

* * *

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 _Oh, if you're a bird, be an early bird_

 _And catch the worm for your breakfast plate._

 _If you're a bird, be an early early bird—_

 _But if you're a worm, sleep late._

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 _~Shel Silverstein_

* * *

"I can't believe the day is here already!" Ruby squealed. Flora rolled over under the sheets and tried to pull her pillow over her head. Upon feeling her mother shaking her awake again, she clutched her hands against her burning cheeks and shut her eyes in embarrassment.

"Mom!" she groaned. "It's four in the morning!"

And indeed, it was. Outside her window, the sky was still dark and still, the hazy outlines of trees and neighboring houses barely recognizable. The harsh glare from the lights in the hallway burned into the open doorway of her room, much to her distaste.

Her mother's hands left her shoulders, and for a moment Flora hoped to sleep again – until the light switch flickered on.

"My retina!" she croaked, flopping over onto her pillowcase.

"It's time to get up!" Ruby cried, rolling her daughter out of bed and onto the floor.

"Ow!"

"Whoops!"

"Hey!"

"I'm sorry."

"Ugh."

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By the time her mother had hustled her to her feet and dragged her down the stairs, the sky was lit by the sun welcoming the day, and Florid Summer Torchwick felt only marginally less groggy.

She was welcomed with the smell of sausage and eggs on a plate. The meat was still sizzling with grease, and the platter of toast slid before her was slathered in butter and coated with cinnamon. Her father stood behind the counter, rustling in the drawer below for a spatula.

"Morning, daughter dearest," he said wryly, grinning down at her. "Good sleep?"

"Yeah, until Mom decided to wake me up at _four in the morning._ " Flora groaned, rubbing her eyes.

"Red, I can't seem to find -"

"It's by the sink." her mother interrupted, leaning over the counter to give her husband a quick peck on the cheek. Flora stared at the two, feeling numb and confused. It must've been the fact that it was morning – she'd never been an early riser, she reasoned. But she still couldn't shake off the unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. The sight of her parents being affectionate usually felt assuring and comfortable, evidence of a happy family, but today…she couldn't stop comparing the sight of Ruby leaning against the shoulder of her father to the unfocused image of Melodic Cudgel pointed at her face.

It disturbed her, she couldn't lie.

Her father handed her mother another plate laden with eggs and toast spread with strawberry jam. In turn she reached over for his cup and the pot of coffee that was still resting on the burner. Flora took her seat and poked at her eggs with a fork.

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She stared at herself for a second in the bathroom mirror before shoving a toothbrush in her mouth. Black hair was tucked behind her ears and tied into a firm ponytail. Her face looked a bit paler than usual (probably stress), and her hands shook a bit as she turned on the faucet.

Definitely nerves.

This was going to be a weird day, wasn't it?

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* * *

The morning air was crisp and cool. The trees rooted in the front lawn were dark and damp from the previous night's rain, and birds sang faintly from the surrounding landscape. On the front steps of the Torchwick residence, several bags, suitcases, and carefully wrapped boxes were scattered like the spoils of war.

Roman Torchwick took hold of the leather handle and tucked his bowler hat under his arm.

"Time to go to Beacon!" her mother whooped behind him throwing her hands in the air. The start of the new school year meant that it was the start of a new teaching semester for Ruby, and the start of a new school for Flora. The prospect of her mother teaching even one of her classes made her head spin.

"Why can't we just use your locker to get there?" the girl asked. "It's much quicker, and you can get from here to Beacon in less than ten minutes."

That was how the Huntress had handled a teaching job, missions, and home life all in one year. "Because it's a great chance for family bonding," she quipped, looping her arm through her daughter's. "I wouldn't want to miss your first day." Despite the heels on her boots, she was only a few inches taller than her daughter, and their strides were even.

She grinned, before her eyes widened. "Wait a second! I forgot something!" she turned on her heel and ran, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust and a shower of rose petals behind her. Flora blinked and kept on moving, adjusting the backpack slung over her back. Her father waited for her to catch up before speaking.

"Wonderful. Another good-doer school," he said lightly, tugging the suitcase down the steps.

"I'll have you know that Beacon is one of the most highly respected -" Flora started hotly, crossing her arms and following him to the car.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he grumbled, unlatching the back and heaving the suitcase onto the floor of the trunk. "Next bag?"

Flora handed him a backpack. Hefting it in both hands, he frowned and unzipped the top zipper. "Shoes? That's an awful lot of -"

"I'll be gone for a whole year, Dad." she reminded him.

"Hm?"

"A _whole_ year. That means that I'll need good boots for my uniform, shoes to wear around town, slippers for my dorm room, and dress shoes."

"Dress shoes?"

"For _dances._ Mom told me all about the dances at Beacon – she said they were pretty cool. If I go with a boy who's taller than I am, then I'll need heels. And if I go with a guy who's shorter than I am or around _my_ height, then I'll need dress flats. And if -"

"You're sure as hell staying away from boys, young lady." he scowled.

" _DAD!"_

* * *

"I know all about those boy's at Beacon – they're pigs, that's what they are, the whole lot of them. You can't trust them, believe me. They're either there for the glory, for the money, or for the -"

"Dad. Stop." She crossed her arms again and tapped her foot. Indifferent-dad was typical, but overprotective-dad was a gear that was a) annoying as hell and b) unfamiliar and difficult to shut down. She still remembered the first boyfriend she'd had when she was twelve – after ten minutes with Mr. Torchwick, he hadn't lasted long.

Her father continued, ignoring the look on his daughter's face.

"Your mother didn't have to go with any boys – she had me. And believe me, there were suitors left and right vying for her attention. They couldn't keep their slimy eyes off of her. It was up to me to be a good gentleman and save her from all of the dimwitted fools who thought they'd have a chance with one of the greatest huntresses-in-training to have ever graced the halls." he assured her firmly.

"And who are you referring to, then?" Ruby asked from behind him, a large package wrapped in brown paper in her arms. She set it gingerly in the backseat and ducked her head out from the doorframe. Torchwick shrugged.

"For one thing, that blonde kid who couldn't use a sword for the life of him."

"Jaune?" Ruby asked incredulously. "He was a friend – a _good_ friend," she added hastily. "He was infatuated with Pyrrha, don't worry. We weren't each other's type. And I don't think sneaking on campus every time I attended a school dance was particularly gentlemanly of you," she teased. "Especially that one time, with the security guards you knocked out."

"What're you talking about? I was perfectly fucking civil."

"Don't curse in front of our daughter, Torchwick." she whispered loudly. Flora nearly snorted out loud. Subtle was not something her mother excelled at. Torchwick slinked a hand around Ruby's waist, and this time, Flora had to suppress a gag.

"Yes ma'am."

"Meanie."

"Red."

At this point they were closely entwined, and Flora knew she would either melt into the ground with embarrassment or claw her eyeballs out in a desperate attempt to save her dignity if she didn't do something.

"Mom. Dad. I can hear you." Flora interrupted. Her parents both froze and looked at her, one face apologetic and the other bemused. "And what did we say about PDA? In the driveway? Where the neighbors can see us?"

"Sorry," they chorused. Flora sighed and tossed the next bag into the trunk.

* * *

Twenty minutes in, and she eyed the handle of the car door. They were on the highway, with surrounding cars speeding over the road and spare motorcycles weaving in and out between lanes.

The first day of school was always one of the worst. But the drive there had to be just as bad.

"You were joking about the…Dad sneaking onto campus, right?" she asked quietly, picking at an imaginary thread on her jacket. Her mother gave her a long stare.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked finally, craning her neck over the seat.

"No," Flora cut in hurriedly. "I was just…wondering…." Her voice trailed off pathetically at the end.

"Well, your father didn't attend Beacon at the time." Ruby started carefully. Torchwick started straight ahead, his posture rigid and his gaze focused fixedly on the road. "There was a bit of an age gap, so it was a little…strange at first, but we made it work." She licked her lips and looked off into the distance thoughtfully. "We still met in town, and he made it to almost all of my school dances, and my graduations. And we had other…encounters. It was fun." she finished brightly. "How's that?"

"Great."

They weren't the answers she was looking for, and the response was a bit evasive. But she wouldn't press it. She'd done enough digging for the day.

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"How're you doing in the backseat?" her father asked. "Are you a bundle of nerves yet?"

"Nope, I'm great." she responded.

"Just think, a whole year away." her mother spoke into the silence. Flora decided to humor her.

"Yeah. Now who'll be there to stop you two and your PDA in public, hm?"

"Heh. If we're not careful, you'll have another younger sibling by the time you're back for Christmas." Roman grinned, raising a dark eyebrow.

Ruby giggled and nudged his shoulder. Flora winced and imagined a toddler with vague features bumbling around the house, swinging a foam scythe in the air and knocking vases off of their platforms.

She gave a nervous laugh and looked out the window. "That was a joke, right?"

Silence. No answer from either of them. Her father spun the wheel in a particularly abrupt turn, and Ruby shot her a sideways glance.

" _Right?"_

No answer.

Dammit.

* * *

 **And that was chapter two! I have a vague mental layout for where this could go, but other than that I'm totally winging it, so I'm open to suggestions for possible directions this could go?**

 **For anyone who may be following the story for the future, don't be afraid to let me know if Flora comes off as Mary Sue-ish. I am completely mortified when faced with the prospect of making a Mary Sue, so I'm usually quite cautious with OC's, especially when said OC is a main character.**

 **And thank you to the people who reviewed, I am so grateful. Once the story heats up and if there are questions, I'll be sure to address the, yeah? I am total Rosewick trash, sue me. If you don't like the ship, feel free to express it, but away from my place of business.**

 **Other than that, have great day!**


	3. Jaws

To all of those who reviewed, thank you so much. Keep it coming – reviews bring me life, no joke. I've been considering Flora's character design, and decided that the next chapter will go more in depth concerning her appearance (btw, the cover for this was drawn by yours truly). By the way, this chapter skips over a bit and straight to the first test given to Beacon students, so I'm sorry if the time skips are confusing.

Speaking of time skips, this also contains a brief what-if kind of flashback from when Torchwick gets eaten. That episode just about killed me. Ugh. Curse you, Volume 3, for being so action-filled and delicious and freaking angst filled. Way to go. You're killing off all of the redheads. Are you happy? ARE YOU HAPPY?

 **DISCLAIMERS: The poem excerpts were from blog/against-all-odds-poem/ written by an anonymous author. I am in no way affiliated with RWBY or Roosterteeth. **

* * *

_Standing on a mountain I view the crimson sun_

 _Thinking of where I've been and how this all begun_

 _Escaping the world of darkness, longing to be free_

 _Etched my dreams into my soul for all eternity_

* * *

.

.

.

.

It's initiation time.

Her mother had told her about being launched off of a cliff and into a forest filled with Grimm, while her father recounted tales of evil robots struggling to take over humanity and gain political and economic control of Remnant.

Both stated that these were some of the first true challenges they had to face in their youth.

But somehow, she doubted that being tossed out of a plane thousands of feet in the air and into an arena filled with water, monsters, pollution, wreckage, and other students was a particularly recent experience of either of her parents.

As she plummeted through the air, Flora finally came to terms with how unprepared she was. _I regret everything. Everything._

Oh, well. At least she could swim. She mentally thanked her Aunt for being so adamant about her taking swimming lessons – something about insisting that every member of her family be able to swim, unlike her husband, who she claimed was a wimp.

True, true.

* * *

Professor Goodwitch is a blonde badass. Truly. She is punctual and deadly; even in heels, she could probably take on an entire fleet of Grimm without batting an eye. At least, that is Flora's first impression of the headmistress, with her steely glare and impressive resume. She truly is not someone she would ever want to mess with.

The woman paces up and down the length of the airship. There are no windows in the vehicle, but Flora can only guess that it is at the very least high above the ground based on the air pressure and the fact that a girl next to her was struggling not to throw up. About eleven other teenagers accompanied the space; some of them were glancing nervously around, while others were adjusting their weapons. Flora cast a look at herself and back at a girl with long blue hair. _She looks so much cooler than I do_ , she thought miserably. _And that boy over there has such a cool weapon – a morphing sword? Ooh, and that girl has a bow that's on fire! Literally._

If she absolutely failed this initiation, she'd never forgive herself.

.

.

.

.

 _"Remember, Flora. A weapon is only as good as the Huntress that wields it," Ruby reminded her lightly, eyeing her crestfallen expression. Her father laughed._

 _"I can recall you saying the exact same thing years ago – only the exact opposite."_

 _"Shut up, Torchwick."_

 _"Make me."_

.

.

.

.

Right, Flora chided herself. Getting hung up over people was not the ideal thing to do right now. What she needed right now was to focus.

"There is a total of artifacts in the form of twelve chess pieces at the bottom of the lake – they are all lit up by dust. You will be released over different sections of the lake, and must retrieve at least one of these pieces."

Flora's jaw dropped open. Find at least one, miniscule chess piece in the bed of an enormous lake? Filled with Grimm and rivals? That was like being asked to find a needle in a haystack infested with flesh-eating rats. It was nearly impossible. Glynda, as if she had heard Flora's inner complaints, smiled wryly at the equally shocked students. "Of course, you will be allowed a partner." How would that help? The odds are still stacked against us, Flora grumbled to herself.

A girl wearing all black raised her hand, hefting her two swords in her hands. "Can we choose our partners?" she asked.

"No. In fact, the first person you make eye contact with will become your partner for the next four years." Glynda answered calmly. The girl's face grew pale. Of course, Flora already knew this. Ruby had explained it all to her – but the mere idea still made her squirm.

She pulled the lever next to her, and the floor beneath Flora and her peers disappeared.

Falling.

Falling.

Falling.

Great. Just great.

 **ooooooooooooOOOOOOOooooooooooo**

* * *

 **ooooooooooooOOOOOOOooooooooooo**

The wire cable wrapped around her ankle was strong and sturdy, and no amount of kicking or yanking would break it. It didn't help that her arms were flailing madly in the water, attempting to keep her afloat without the assistance of a leg.

The water sloshed higher and higher. Past her chest, toward her neck, over her chin –

She closed her eyes as she was completely submerged in blue. Within moments, Flora Torchwick sank below the surface of the water without a sound. Only the air bubbles that rose to the surface stood as evidence of her ever having existed prior. Immobile in the clutches of green and blue waves and the deafening silence of the water, she could feel herself being dragged deeper and deeper underwater. The temperature plummeted, and the water on her skin grew colder and colder. Through her closed lids, she could feel darkness setting in as the sunlight that shone through the surface of the water grew fainter and fainter.

This was it. She was dying. She was drowning. She'd never get into Beacon now; not as a corpse, anyway. Despite having recounted many, many tales, her mother had never told her about anything like this. She'd never described what it was like to feel helpless and small – absolutely _insignificant._ Useless, choking to death on nothing but water and loneliness.

As a Huntress, Ruby Roes must've faced multiple life or death scenarios. After all, gravestones and yearbooks dating back decades proved that nobody was too young to die. Indeed, in the life of a warrior, death is always carefully on tail, waiting for the right moment snatch you up. However, there were many an exception who managed to cheat death time and time again, and in doing so, angered death severely.

* * *

 _I refuse to be a rat in life, running circles in its race_

 _Failure is not an option; just look me in the face_

 _For what you see is what you get but you cannot keep me down_

 _Because I will be victorious and wear my golden crown._

* * *

 _The monster is so gigantic and awesome in size that Ruby took two steps backward before coming to her senses and unsheathing her blade. Swallowing the shock of Roman Torchwick's sudden and unexpected demise, she prepared to unleash everything she had on this new opponent. But she is stopped in her tracks when a scream rips through the air as the neck of the Grimm bulged on one side, stretched –_

 _Red explodes on the left side, and the creature wails again, keeling over on its side and flailing miserably. Its black, scaly skin stretched and contorted near the neck. Another explosion rattles her skull, and a flash of light blows her off of her feet and sends her skidding to the ground. Flesh and thick bone fly into the air like shrapnel, and Ruby is forced to cover her face and eyes with her arms, shielding herself from the shower. Smoke reached her nostrils._

 _The ground beneath her shifted, and she yelped. Sinking Crescent Rose's blade into the ship and grabbing the handle, she struggled to regain her balance. She clung onto her weapon as the airship lurched to the side again, this time nearly sideways._

 _The severed head of the massive Grimm fell below her, down into the night._

 _The airship righted itself, barely, shakily, and she was tossed to the other side as a result of the sudden equilibrium. Ruby stumbled and tightened her hold on the handle of her weapon, panting. Glancing up at the collapsed Grimm, her jaw clattered to the floor at the sight before her. A white figure was perched on the gaping hole of the carcass, a long cane in hand. Ruby's heart nearly stopped in her chest, and her blood went cold._

 _Dripping in gore, clad in tattered clothes and a ghoulish grin, was –_

" _Torchwick?"_

" _Dear little Red. Where are you going? Did you really think I was done with you?" He tilted his head and he pointed his cane at her face._

That's still intact? _The fact that the cane had endured direct swipes from Crescent Rose, and being swallowed whole by a Grimm both confused and impressed her. She made a mental note to find out whatever material it was made of – that was, if she lived long enough to get out of this mess. A red star of light came hurling toward her, and she barely moved out of the way in time. It whistled past her shoulder and into the night behind her._

Well, this is déjà vu, _she thought briefly. She_ _shook her head, dumbfounded. "What…how did you…?_

" _Never mind that. It's time for some fun."_

 _The villain carefully dismounted the dark mountain of flesh that was already disintegrating into the air before her eyes, and approached her again, this time swinging his cane playfully in his hands._

 _She could only watch the black powder blow away in the wind like dust._

* * *

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Don't panic. Don't panic._

Something just below her line of vision stirred in the darkness, sending ripples through the water.

 _Too late._

She didn't waste any more time. All it took was a glint of a red, beady eye, and a flash of black and white to renew her efforts to slide the blasted wire off of her ankle. She thrashed wildly, fingers fumbling desperately. Her eyes stung, and she closed them, now blindly yanking at the knot.

 _Faster._

 _Faster._

Finally, her fingers felt a space in between the knot and tugged with all her might. It came free all too slowly, relieving the tension on her ankle. Her entire body was already numb, and her clothes weighed her down as she kicked to the surface.

 _Hurry._

 _Hurry._

 _I'm trying._

She broke through the surface of the water with a gasp, chest heaving up and down.

The water was surprisingly clear from the top, and she glanced down to confirm her fears. Below her, an enormous shark of a Grimm circled near the floor. Its massive top fin was jagged with white bone, and its entire body was a span of about twenty-five feet. If it made up its mind and came after her, it'd definitely have no problem swallowing her whole. How humiliating that would be, and painful – not that it would matter. She'd be dead, and embarrassment was hardly a factor in death.

Her wet hair was plastered to the sides of her face, and she was sure that once she reached dry land water would be sloshing in her boots. The long tail of her coat waved around her legs and engulfed her lower body. The cloth seemed to soak up water and consistently tug her down, and she struggled to keep afloat. Her knives were still tied around her belt – the blades glinted in the water, and she gave a breath of relief that her weapons were still in her possession.

* * *

 _There are several buoys in various locations spread around the arena. These are safe zones; up to three oxygen masks are provided on the buoys. If a student stays on a buoy too long, then they will be expelled from the platform and into the air. "Now, we wouldn't want that, would we?"_

Flora remembered Goodwitch's stern instructions and scanned the horizon.

* * *

 _Yes._

She began swimming toward the gray shape in the distance that she prayed was the buoy Goodwitch had talked about. With cautious, swift strokes, she made her way through the water. The cool hair bit at her face and chilled her shoulders.

The destination ahead of her slowly sank into detail – to her relief, it was indeed a metal buoy, bobbing on the waves like a cork. Perhaps this was a sign – a sign of good luck. She could only hope that it would hold. Only several feet away now, she glanced over her shoulder, and her heart nearly stopped.

The dark shape below her was following her.

 _Well, fu -_

The thought had barely formed before gunfire erupted and bullets peppered the water.


End file.
